Two plans for major intersections in Jacksonville have been tabled, according to city officials.

A separated interchange at Western and Marine boulevards and a half clover leaf interchange with circular ramps off the main roads at Piney Green Road and Marine Boulevard have been removed from the books and area officials will be looking at alternate plans over the next six to eight months.

“This is a good thing for our community,” said Anthony Prinz, the transportation services administrator for the City of Jacksonville.

Prinz said that the two projects were included in a 2008 map presented to the Jacksonville City Council in a request to adopt a corridor protection map that would limit the ability of property owners to build new construction or rehabilitate their property for three years. While the council rejected the plan, the map still exists because it was publicly visible.

Prinz said there were several concerns with the project, including the price — $70 million for the Western and Marine boulevards interchange and $49 million for the Piney Green Road and Marine Boulevard interchange. Of that amount, $43.7 million and $32.5 million were for right-of-way costs, or buying the property for the interchange. Another concern was spending the money on roadways that might not meet future traffic demands, he said. Prinz said officials now will look at ways to maximize the roadways already in place.

For example, one possibility is to build an additional lane in all directions at Western and Marine boulevards, which would decrease the number of light changes drivers would sit through at the intersection to one. Included in that possibility is the chance to improve surrounding intersections, including Commerce Road and McDaniel Drive, and even build a new roadway behind the Walmart on Western Boulevard to alleviate Western Boulevard traffic.

Officials will also look at alternative planes for Piney Green Road, including seeing how the widening project scheduled for completion in 2016 affects traffic and improving as needed “with a more realistic project,” Prinz said.

And during the process, they will also look at a way to continue the U.S. 17 bypass north of Jacksonville, making it a “true bypass,” he said.

While officials have yet to look at cost estimates, Prinz expects them to come in much lower than $70 million if for no other reason than they could eliminate the $43.7 million and $32.5 million right-of-way costs.

“That is a substantial expense,” he said.

While the projects have been tabled, the Jacksonville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization has maintained the possibility to work on the locations to ease congestion in the area. They have also retracted the proposals on the 2008 map, which will aid area property owners who want to invest in their properties, and asked the N.C. Department of Transportation to aid them in looking at new options.

Page 2 of 2 - Prinz said that once alternatives are selected, public input will be sought.

“This has to go through a public process … If the community doesn’t support the concept, we shouldn’t be out there building it,” he said.

Amanda Hickey is the government reporter at The Daily News. She can be reached at amanda.hickey@jdnews.com.